Explore a Local Legend
Marlin’s hot mineral water has healing benefits
By Rachel Strickland | Photos courtesy of the Marlin Chamber of Commerce
What do some of the most famous European bath houses and Marlin, Texas, have in common? This might seem like a strange comparison, but Marlin, also known as the Hot Mineral Water City of Texas, has its very own mineral hot spring, and it’s been a destination spot for over a century.
According to Bryan LeMeilleur, director of Tourism and Marketing for Marlin, the city financed the drilling of three wells back in 1893. The part they weren’t expecting was the off-putting smell and taste that the water from the spring had, and no one wanted to drink it. In 1895, the city paid to have the water analyzed, and the results were surprising. The mineral content in the water was incredibly high, and it was on the same level as some bath houses in Europe. Thus began Marlin’s nearly 50-year journey into the homeopathic healthcare industry.
LeMeilleur notes that after World War II, there were a lot of advancements in medicine, and people were not as interested in natural cures anymore. Nevertheless, Marlin still had some locals that continued to use the water in various ways to heal their ailments, including drinking it, using it topically, and extracting the mineral content to use in capsule form.
Even as medical advancements left homeopathy behind, Marlin’s mineral water continued to attract people from all over the world — some of them famous. Between 1911 and 1918, major league baseball team, the New York Giants, traveled to Marlin for spring training. The manager of the Giants at the time said that Marlin was a great place for his team’s training, not only because of its remote locale, but also for the curative properties that the mineral water had for his injured players.
According to LeMeilleur, of the three wellheads that exist, only one of them continues to flow freely, and it’s located right next to the Marlin Chamber of Commerce on Coleman Street. The water comes up from the ground, into the wellhead, and out of four spigots where you can fill up a cup — or a 50-gallon tank — whatever you want to take home with you.
While the mineral water is not as popular as it once was, LeMeilleur said that there are still people who believe in the healing properties of the water, and they regularly visit Marlin. He said a lot of the visitors are people who find out about the mineral springs because it’s a unique, historic destination that is free. They also have a lot of visitors that are loyal locals who come to fill up a couple jugs of the water every month.
“You can drink it. It’s not terrible for you,” LeMeilleur said of the water, even though the smell and taste make it difficult to consume. He added that one of the minerals in the water works well as a laxative, and so some people take a shot of it daily to stay regular. But most people use the water topically. People who have a skin malady, such as a scar or eczema, will wet a rag with the mineral water and let it soak into their skin. “And it works,” LeMeilleur said. “I’m not gonna lie. I’ve tried it.”
Even in the 21st century, there is still a market for the healing properties of the mineral water. And according to LeMeilleur, there are people who want to give new life to the bath house industry in Marlin, but the main roadblock is money.
“It would take some serious money to make that happen,” he said. “But there could be a bath industry here again if somebody was willing to put the time and effort into it.”
In fact, the perfect place for a revamped bath house already exists in Marlin, and it’s connected to the abandoned Falls Hotel, which was the eighth hotel built by Conrad Hilton in 1929. It’s connected to the Marlin Sanitarium Bath House via an underground tunnel.
“There are a lot of secrets in that hotel,” LeMeilleur said. “There are still fixtures in the bathrooms that are over there that are a hundred years old. And if you look in the downstairs, there’s a baby grand piano and a whole foyer just full of furniture.”
He believes that the hotel and the bath house could really be something great for Marlin if the right person came along and was willing to invest their time and money into it.
If you decide to check out the mineral water of Marlin, be sure to bring a clean container to fill with water. LeMeilleur warns that if you intend on consuming the water to do so within a few weeks because it’s not filtered and has organisms in it that could be harmful if left to the elements too long. Whether you’re a curious skeptic or you’ve got a skin ailment that could benefit from an unconventional cure, a visit to the Hot Mineral Water City of Texas just might need be your next stop.
IF YOU GO
Marlin Hot Mineral Water
207 Coleman St., Marlin
